


Wait for Me

by 19Hazed



Category: South Park
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Character Study, Coming of Age, M/M, Mystery, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags May Change, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 11:23:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17283134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/19Hazed/pseuds/19Hazed
Summary: By the end of his sophomore year, Tweek knows who to trust and who to avoid. Like the homeless guy on the street corner. Or his former boyfriend.---In which Tweek learns about loss, and Kenny knows too much.





	Wait for Me

_May 1975_

Tweek watched the cold water wash over his hand and disappear down the drain, red skin burning under the running stream. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to pick at the blisters growing on his palm after all, but who was there to stop him from doing so.

    Craig, apparently. “Don't do that.” He handed Tweek a paper towel with pursed lips, studying the boy drying his hand. Even to this day, it was still a mystery to Tweek how Craig managed to cope with his mood swings, let alone continue pretending they were boyfriends. Sometimes he wished he could hear the thoughts writhing and flickering through Craig’s mind. Be his satellite. Maybe then he would feel just a little bit closer to him.

    “I can't help it,” Tweek murmured, discarding the soggy towel. White walls and stuffy air of the school bathroom were making his head spin, static noise buzzing in the back of his mind like a broken car stereo. It's all too much, almost to the point of being unbearable. “It's eczema. Genetics, man.”

    Judging by the look on Craig's face, he wasn’t thoroughly convinced. “My mom had it when she was younger,” Tweek explained, scratching the scaly bumps on his wrist. The latter didn't reply; only wove their fingers together and led them through the nearly empty hallways and corridors, back to the place Tweek dreaded the most. 

    Sneaking into their classroom unnoticed was impossible. As soon as the door was nudged open, twenty pairs of eyes were boring into Tweek, surprise and disgust painted across their faces. Tweek felt his neck and ears prickle as he found his way to his seat, stumbling out an apology for the disruption. Another day, another note. What else was new?

    “Took you long enough,” Kenny whispered as Tweek slid into a chair beside him. “So what, did he jump your bones or something?”

    “Eurgh, no.” Truth was, they were never comfortable being extremely affectionate in public (or in private, for that matter). Hugging? Check. Nicknames? Check. Hand holding? Check. Craig had ruled out snogging for a reason, and honestly, he couldn't blame him. Who would want to kiss Tweek anyway? 

“You're no fun,” Kenny sighed, turning his attention back to the blackboard. Although Kenny was pointedly ignoring him, Tweek could tell that Kenny wasn't listening to the teacher yapping either.

    _Easy for you to say,_ Tweek thought. _Since you've got most of your life figured out and all the chicks want to get into your pants._

    It's not that bad – fake dating, that is. So Craig doesn't feel the same and only does it for the show – big fucking deal! Better that way than being stranded alone on the bus stop on chilly mornings, or taking long walks home after school, or eating his paper bag lunch by himself. Or anything, really, since Tweek was never good at handling loneliness in the first place. 

    “Earth to Tweek,” Craig's voice snapped Tweek out of his thoughts, startling him back to reality. The bell must've rang just a few minutes ago but the two of them were the only ones left in the room. Craig was standing by his desk, his usually remote expression replaced by furrowed brows and a thoughtful frown. The grip on his backpack strap tightened, fingers digging into the rough fabric. “Ready to go?”

Wasting no more time, Tweek reached for his fallen book bag, slumped it around his shoulders, and glanced back at his boyfriend. If something was bothering Craig, he didn't show it. Instead he brought an arm around Tweek’s waist and pulled him flush against his side. “Mind telling me what that was all about?”

    “Aurgh. You know how I get,” Tweek toyed with the top button of his shirt as they passed the iron gates of the entrance. The guard, a short man with soft eyes and a tight smile, waved when they bid him their loose goodbyes. “Sometimes it feels overwhelming. Difficult to keep everything inside. And then it overflows, spills out without any warning, you know?” Like today. But they don’t normally discuss his meltdowns so openly. Was it really that bad this time?

Craig was silent. His fingers brushed Tweek's hip, leaving traces of warmth beneath their touch. And then he drew them back, stuffing his hand into a pocket of a fonzie Laura got him for his birthday. The same one Tweek planned on giving him as a present. 

Shame.

A wave of inexplicable fear rushed over Tweek, breath catching in his throat and lungs squeezing the leftover air. He heard the screeching of the violins, high-pitched notes scraping his eardrums. Last year they went to see Psycho together, and somehow the memory felt suited for Tweek’s sudden panic. There he is, standing behind the shower curtain like an unsuspecting prey – Norman is drawing the cover aside and raising his knife to strike –

“Tweek,” Craig called, stopping mid-way in their walk. They were only ten steps or so from the crosswalk, and if they would just hurry they could still make it before the light changes. Tweek hid his impatience as best as he could, whining a little under Craig’s gaze and watching the first row of cars begin to stir with a sinking feeling. Reluctantly, he raised his eyes to meet Craig’s, biting back a complaint. “We need to talk.”

– Marion let out a shriek, dodging the first blow –

“Look, I know that you’re very… touchy about our,” he waved his hand in the air, “relationship, but I think –”

    _– stab, stab, stab–_

“– spend some time apart. I want to be alone.” The music got louder, the ringing of the orchestra gradually increasing. Don’t they know his ears are sensitive? 

_– the blood is pooling at her feet, sliding down the wall –_

“–you listening?” Craig’s face is blurry, but it’s so close that their noses were touching. His eyes were wild, searching Tweek’s with steel intent. “Shit– are you crying?” 

Was he? Tweek couldn’t feel the tears rolling down. In fact he couldn’t feel much of anything, even when Craig tried to cup his cheek but thought better of it. He turned away, self-consciously shuffling on the spot, as if he didn’t know where to go from there. 

The profound silence between them was broken by Tweek’s hiccup. “I better go,” he wiped his nose on his sleeve. The final notes were dying. The music’s over. And the light was green again.

Craig nodded, his expression unreadable. 

The hardest part was to not look back as Tweek passed rows of gray apartments, to not take in the sight of the boy for the last time. _Just one look._ He forced himself to jog up the concrete stairs and wait for Mrs. Tweek to buzz him in, heavy metal door falling closed behind him.

**Author's Note:**

> [Reupload]
> 
> Sorry for the inconveniences. I had to rework the summary and change just a few sentences of the prequel — otherwise everything else stayed the same, I promise!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. Any pointers/feedback are greatly appreciated <3


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